Stargazing
by Crazy Foxie
Summary: Lucina had only intended to watch the Hero King from a distance. When Marth invites her to stargaze with him, Lucina is only too happy to comply. She soon discovers through the Einherjar that she was wrong to use Marth's name so lightly.


**A/N:** I've wanted to write this fic for a long time. Although Lucina could easily have found out about what Marth was like through Tiki, this focuses on her interactions with the Einherjar!Marth, which is the DLC available where essentially you can get the lords of most of the previous games to join your campaign in Awakening.

The 'candles in the sky' concept is in homage to the FE1 manga by Maki Hakoda. Upon writing this, I got slightly annoyed how Lucina's swordplay is almost exactly like Marth's in SSB4 despite a 2,000 year difference.

I have a couple other Fire Emblem oneshots in the pipeline I want to do (Akaneia-centric), but please enjoy this one for now! Comments/critique would be nice if you can spare the time :)

* * *

 **Stargazing**

Lucina, like everyone in the royal family, knew the whole story of Marth the Hero King. She read every historical document she could get her hands on, and her father told her the same story each night when she was young. She related to the hardships he faced during his battles, the decisions he had to make, and the kindness that captivated even the sternest of men. He was a leader that she aspired to become, adored by his country and respected by others.

Everything about Marth was based on accounts. The Einherjar were probably no different. They were essentially artist's impressions, and untold magic gave those cards the power to revive them for a certain amount of time. The Einherjars were more like illusions with form, but it was still the closest thing to the real deal she was going to get.

Robin had warned everyone in the Army about the Einherjar. They had no recollection of being summoned and, for the most part, merely believed that they were far from home. Each time they were summoned, they either had very little or no recollection of what had happened. Robin made it very clear that everyone was to go with what each unique Einherjar believed. Some Einherjars caught onto the facts quickly from their own observations, and accepted their false existence with little resistance.

Marth, however, was not one of them.

As the Hero King looked up at the stars, Lucina wanted to cherish the moment of absolute tranquillity. Even after the battle, he showed no sign of fatigue and there was nothing to prove enemies had even touched him. She couldn't trust herself to blemish such a perfect moment.

She intended to sneak away, but in her hesitance of whether to go or not, Marth turned his head and saw her.

"Hello." In that simple greeting, Lucina's insides melted and she could feel her ears burning up. She had heard Marth speak to other members of the army, but it was a different story entirely when he was addressing her.

She made quick work of her hair (as if it made her somewhat more appealing to look at) before replying. "Yes, um, hello."

By the Gods, she was only embarrassing herself.

Marth seemed to overlook the incoherence of her answer. "Would you care to join me? The stars are abundant this evening and remind me of Altea."

Lucina nodded slowly. The sky was filled with the same stars as Marth's time but over 2,000 years later. The older stars had vanished and constellations had become distorted. It was only natural for Marth to see the resemblance.

She remembered Robin's instructions with a pang. She wouldn't be able to tell Marth that he was standing on his land and seeing the same sky unless he figured it out himself.

She took a few steps to stand by Marth, and she noticed that she was only marginally shorter than him. Whilst the scriptures had put him down as a valiant and reverent leader, they had forgotten to mention how exceptionally beautiful he was. The monuments that had dotted across the continent depicted him with majestic capes and more armour than practical, but his modest attire suited him much better. At the end of the day, he was also an ordinary man.

Marth didn't let her look at him for long, casting his gaze to the heavens again.

Lucina cleared her throat. Where she failed in a good first impression, she would make up with a good conversation. "A long time ago, people used to say that stars are candles in the sky lit by fallen heroes. Every time night came, they watched over everyone and everything that they fought for, and witnessed that everything they sacrificed was worth it."

Marth laughed softly. "Jeigan told me the same thing. He's my advisor," he added, and he gave no time for her to acknowledge this (which was just as well, as she was fully aware who Jeigan was). "It's a poignant myth, isn't it? I've lost many men in my campaign, and I'm certain this one is no different. In our hardships, they are only able to observe and wish us victory." He turned his body slightly to face her. "I'm Marth. If I'm not mistaken, you're Lord Chrom's daughter, right?"

Lucina smiled gingerly. The Hero King was already dropping his title around her, and she repeated his words in her head. He was respectful, and he saw her as an equal. "You would be correct. My name's Lucina."

Marth nodded. "You look like him. Then you too know the hardships of rallying an army. You have to consider that everyone may not be united in their beliefs. There are many who enlist for fame and glory, and you alone have to tolerate them and hear them out."

All Lucina could do was make a small noise of agreement. Her colleagues, she felt, were for the most part united in her desire to make sure Grima didn't succeed. She trusted them, but she was only leading a small entourage. As an army gets bigger, so do the risks. There hadn't been an opportunity yet for her to lead a full battalion, but she would do well to heed the Hero King's sound advice.

Marth was able to see the similarities between her and her father, but why couldn't he see the resemblance between him and her?

"From what I've seen though, your father has the abilities of a great leader and has fine soldiers behind him," Marth continued. "As strange as it sounds, the techniques your soldiers use…no, even the enemies too, I've seen them before."

She couldn't keep it from him anymore.

"We take pride in our lineage," Lucina confirmed. "Ylisse is a country that has the finest knights and swordsmanship. Our fathers taught us the traditions, and their fathers before them. Other countries have had similar teachings. Our ways of fighting looks familiar to you as our roots originate from your continent, Akaneia."

Lucina knew how bizarre this must have sounded to Marth, but she wanted him to understand. "To put it differently, where you're standing is your continent of Akaneia, 2,000 years ahead of your time."

Marth didn't say anything at first, and there wasn't anything to show that he had even registered Lucina's ground-breaking comment. Lucina didn't dare break the silence, and it was a long while before Marth sighed and looked away from her. "If what you say is true, I wish you hadn't told me." He wore such a serious look, and it was one she would associate with charging into battle. Had telling him the truth really affected him that badly? "I had hoped misfortune of this scale wouldn't strike my continent again. Were my efforts in vain?"

"Of course not!" Lucina exclaimed hastily. "If it wasn't for you, Ylisse would never have developed the way it did. We have incredible ties with our neighbouring countries, and that was only possible because of your involvement in the War of Darkness and War of Shadows. 2,000 years of peace was more than we could have asked for!" She daren't mention that Grima's first attempt of domination was 1,000 years ago. She was causing enough problems without adding anything else into the mix.

She was afraid that he was going to dismiss her comments. The conversation with Marth was turning into a disaster, and it was nothing like what she had envisioned it to be. She was thrilled to be talking to her ancestor and teacher. She was only now starting to realise he didn't reciprocate such a desire.

His answer was not what she had expected. "Sometimes war happens because there is no other way. 2,000 years is a long time, and it is through war that kingdoms are truly united and the continent can evolve. If there was a way to avoid the bloodshed and unnecessary casualties, I'm certain you would have considered that already." Marth beamed, and his almost childish demeanour was contagious.

"Yes," she said through a smile. Marth ought to have been disappointed his successors had failed up uphold his legacy and everything he had accomplished, but he took it in stride. All those years she had wondered if she was doing the right thing, she was relieved to know that she was on the right path. There was plenty that needed to be done to purge the continent of the evil, and each word that Marth said gave her more strength than she could ever ask for. He was so quick to forgive them, and she found herself wondering how he could do that.

Marth turned his head to the sky again. "War can shape a country and its future. It can bring out the best in people, or otherwise it gives them the courage to." His eyes narrowed slightly. "You must remember that just as you fight, your enemies possess the same passion for their country. The only thing that I ask, and I realise how selfish this is, is that you spare those who don't wish to fight. Just like there are those loyal to their countries, there are also those who have their own reasons to fight, and they may not necessarily conflict with your cause."

Lucina sighed. War brought out the worst in people. She knew how many families had been torn apart, how many lives had been lost and how many grew corrupt with the power. She had grown up alone because of the war. It was part of the reason why so many of her friends had too, and they all had no choice but to take care of themselves up until this point.

It was then that Lucina remembered the one question she had wanted to ask Marth since the opportunity to speak to him had presented itself.

Marth would surely despise her for it, but she needed to know. "Do you mind if I could ask you something?" She had tried to sound casual, but she could feel her entire body tense up from nerves again.

Marth shrugged as he looked across at her. "Of course."

She didn't want to complicate things even further, but she couldn't see any other way. "I've told you that this is your world 2,000 years ahead of your time. In truth, I come from a time even further ahead. Where, or rather when, I came from, there was very little left of the continent." Lucina took a few deep breaths as she recalled the horrors she had left behind. She could feel Marth telling her to go on, despite him not saying anything whatsoever. One of her hands found itself on Falchion, and she instantly felt at ease. "I came back in time to fight the war alongside my parents. The war's outcome rests on one event, and doing what we can before that transpires will be our best chance of victory."

"A commendable effort," Marth praised. He was genuinely impressed with how far she had gone, and in those three words Lucina felt the weight of responsibility lift off her shoulders.

Lucina gave a shy smile. "I didn't go back alone. A handful of us wanted to fight alongside our parents; some out of valour, some out of sheer curiosity. We were all excited about meeting our own parents as they had already passed in our time, but more than anything, I was afraid. Afraid to tell them of what was to come, of failure to fulfil my duty or, worst of all, see them die before my eyes. Even though those thoughts were constantly over me, I had to appear strong for the sake of my comrades."

As the princess of a ruined kingdom, she had no other choice. She kept all her concerns at bay so that her comrades didn't panic. When they were worried, she pounded words of encouragement, even if she herself didn't believe it.

She looked across at Marth, the man she had stolen the identity of when she travelled here. His expression had hardly changed, but his eyes were easily his most outstanding feature. The scriptures had said that Marth was a kind leader, and as she looked deeper into his eyes, there was only truth.

She had donned a mask and had hoped that was enough. A mask could hide her true emotions as she fought alongside her family, but using Marth's name didn't make her Marth. If this encounter had taught her one thing, it had allowed her to see the Hero King for who he really was: honest. She could see none of her in him.

Lucina gave a sharp sigh. It was now or never. "My solution to setting aside my fears was to create an alias using your name." It sounded so pathetic now that she had said it aloud. By using the very essence of Marth, it allowed her to face each situation as she thought he would have done. "So my question is this: do you despise me for sullying your name?"

She had muttered her question more to her chest, but Marth had heard it. He shook his head almost immediately. "I think you're being hard on yourself. It's not like I have much of a reputation to ruin anyway."

Lucina blinked several times. "What do you mean?" The Lodestar had more reputation than anyone in the continent, and she had assumed his identity. She had been trying to be him, but her actions were essentially that of an impostor, nothing else.

Marth rubbed at one eye in tiredness. "I mean to say that I'm no one you should aspire to become." He glanced over his shoulder briefly. "I only accomplished what I did because of the immeasurable support I received. There were many instances I wanted to give up, but it was because of them I pressed on and we overturned the wars. There were many in my army more admirable than myself."

Lucina knew less about Marth's comrades in arms, but she was certainly well-versed with their names and which country they had hailed from. In her eyes though, much like every other scholar, Marth was the one united the continent.

"It's getting late. I think we both need to turn in if we want to be at full strength tomorrow. Thank you for your company, Lucina," the Hero King said with a strong nod.

"You too, good night," Lucina breathed.

She had expected him to turn and walk to the encampments, and she would watch his back in awe. She had completely forgotten, in the midst of their conversation, that she was keeping an Einherjar company. Marth certainly turned away from her, but he emanated a golden glow that grew brighter as he made his exit. Marth himself was oblivious of the light that had enveloped him, taking him to the realm beyond.

Once the light had faded, there was nothing to prove she had spent the past five minutes with Marth except for the card on the grass and the growing feeling of pride and determination within her chest.

If she had turned round at that point, she would have seen Robin shake his head in disappointment before continuing his rounds.


End file.
